Good Timing
by adventurous97
Summary: Sequel to "Bad Timing"! Now that Erin and Jay are the parents of a 5-year-old son, how will they cope when people from both of their pasts reenter their life and more obstacles are thrown their way? #Linstead. Chapter 9 now up!
1. Nineteen Damn Years

**Yay! The sequel to **_**Bad Timing **_**is here! I hope you enjoy the first chapter! I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to start writing the sequel – fall has been crazy so far!**

**Note: the sequel picks up right where the epilogue left off…**

Good Timing

Chapter 1

Erin was still confused when Jay called out a name to a strange woman, but her detective mind put the pieces together as she watched the woman's facial expression change from confusion to recognition to surprise.

The woman gasped, and asked, "Jay?"

Jay felt like he was frozen in place next to Erin as the woman darted across the crosswalk and stopped in front of him. Tears came to her eyes as she said, "Oh my God! It's you!" and embraced Jay in a long hug. Erin could sense that Jay's eyes were tearing up too, although he was hesitant to return the hug.

This lady was Elise.

This lady was Jay's sister.

The one who had left Jay stranded in their hometown in Maine nineteen years ago.

The one who had never reached out to him in the nineteen years since she had left.

And by some miracle, here she was, at the _exact same _elementary school on the first day of the school year. _How? _Was the only question Erin could think about.

"It's been a while, Elise," Jay said, with a hint of coldness in his voice.

"Too long," Elise replied, wiping the tears from her eyes, only now turning to acknowledge Erin. "And you are?" she asked.

Displeased by Elise's frankness, Erin replied, "Detective Erin Lindsay. CPD. Your brother, Jay, is my partner."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Elise replied, holding out her hand.

"You as well," Erin replied coldly, shaking Elise's hand as she tried to read this person. But her senses weren't working as well because she was still in shock that Elise, Jay's long lost sister, who he hadn't wanted to find, was living in Chicago and had an elementary school-age child. Crazy.

"Um…," Elise began, "Jay? Do you want to grab coffee or something?"

"Uh, sure," Jay replied, not sure if he was excited to see his sister again or mad because he now wanted the explanation that he never got. He gave Elise a hug goodbye and followed Erin to their car. Elise had suggested a coffee place nearby and they agreed to take separate cars.

Once Erin and Jay were safely inside their car and following Elise to the coffee shop, Erin couldn't contain herself any longer. "That's her?" she blurted out, "That's your sister? Who left you stranded in Maine? Nineteen frickin' years ago?"

"Yep," was all Jay could manage in reply as he stared out the windshield.

"How did you even know it was her? And why the coffee? I thought you hated her for what she did."

"You know when you look at someone and your gut feeling tells you that you know them? Well that's how I felt when I saw her," Jay began, "And her face and eyes. They're unmistakable…but about the past nineteen years, Erin, it's been nineteen damn years. Now that I've run into her for the first time since then, part of me is so angry at her that I could punch her, but another part of me wants an explanation, you know?"

Erin sighed, then replied, "I understand. I'm sorry for being impolite back there, I was just in shock. And surprised."

"It's okay, I get it. You knew how I felt about her, and you probably never expected, like I did, that we would run into her in Chicago – or at an elementary school, of all places," Jay admitted.

Erin exhaled a deep breath as she parked their car outside the chosen coffee shop on S Clark. After she cut the ignition, she grabbed Jay's left hand with both of hers and said, in a serious tone, "Just promise me that you won't jump back into this too fast? Try to take it slow? And not forget what she did?"

Jay kissed Erin and said, "I promise, Erin. I just want to try and get an explanation now that I've seen her for the first time in nearly two decades, okay?"

"Okay," Erin agreed. As she turned on the ignition and watched Jay walk into the coffee shop, she was suddenly overcome with worry.

Jay had been so happy the past decade. Ever since he had decided to move on from Elise leaving him in Maine. But now that she was back, Erin was worried that he would let his emotions overrun his common sense, like when he had jumped at an armed gang member in a warehouse when she was pregnant with Peter. She was happy that they were reunited, she just…she didn't want Elise leaving Jay again.

***Three minutes later***

After both of their coffees had arrived, Jay sat nervously sipping his coffee while Elise used her coffee mug as a hand warmer. After a minute of awkward silence, Elise broke the ice. "So…it's been a while."

"You already said that," Jay retorted, "And it hasn't just been a while, Elise. It's been nineteen years. Nineteen damn years."

"I can explain."

"Then go right ahead. I would love to hear how during the past nineteen years you had not even a single second to spare to try and contact me. You're my sister, Elise, and you still are. I worried for months, years about what had happened to you. And after I joined the military-"

Elise cut him off in surprise. "What? The US military?"

"Would I join any other one?" Jay asked sarcastically.

"That's not what I meant," Elise reassured, "Why did you join?"

"Honestly? Because I wanted to get away from Maine after you had left. Because after you were gone, I didn't see myself as having a future there."

"Are you glad you left Maine?" Elise asked cautiously.

"Now, yes. If I hadn't, none of the good things that have happened for me here would've happened."

"Have you been back to Maine? Since you left for the army?"

Jay sighed and was suddenly saddened as he remembered what had happened to their parents. Elise didn't know, so he had to tell her. "They're dead. Died in a car accident two weeks before I left for the army. They're buried in our hometown in Maine."

Elise started to cry. "Oh my God, Jay. I'm so sorry. Oh my God."

Jay didn't know what to follow up with except for, "So? How's Leo? That was his name right?" He didn't want to mess around…he wanted an explanation that he had waited nineteen years for.

After drying her eyes and recomposing herself, Elise looked at Jay and sighed deeply. "Gone. Haven't heard from him in sixteen years."

"What? What happened? Did he hurt you?" Jay asked.

"No," Elise began, "After we left Maine we went to New York. We both managed to start college while working our respective jobs. He went the fast track on his engineering degree and got his diploma in three years. I was on a four year track, and when I had one year left I found out I was pregnant."

Jay, silenced by shock and surprise, allowed Elise to continue. "I loved him so much that I told him the day I found out, and I thought that he would support me."

Elise paused, looking down at her coffee and then back up again. "Turns out he was a jackass. He left that night and I never heard from him again. When I figured out that he was gone, I was so upset and stressed that I had a miscarriage. I was only eight weeks along." Elise had tears running down her cheeks again as she recounted her past. "But, after I recovered from the miscarriage, I managed to get my accounting degree and took a job offer in Chicago. It paid well and I needed a fresh start.

"Then, five years after I moved to Chicago, I met a guy named Mike at a sports bar. I instantly fell for him – the first time that I'd fallen for someone as fast as I had for Leo. We dated for a year, got married, and I got pregnant again. The girl you saw me saying goodbye to this morning was my daughter, Maddie. She's ten years old."

"Wow, you've certainly come a long way," Jay commented, "Are you still working in accounting?"

"Yes, but only part time. Mike and I both agreed that we needed to be around to raise Maggie."

"That's good. I'm happy that you're aren't still with Leo, actually. Even though I'm sorry he left you," Jay admitted.

"Why?" Elise asked.

"Because I never liked him anyway," Jay replied, smiling for the first time since seeing his sister at the school half an hour earlier.

"But enough about me," Elise suggested, "How are you? I got that you're a cop, thanks to your partner. She was a bit impolite if you ask me."

"She was just as shocked as I was, thank you very much," Jay retorted. "And don't talk dirt about her because she's my wife. And the mother of my son."

Elise did a double take and apologized. "I'm sorry, Jay. I didn't realize. I thought she was just your _work_ partner…and you have a son?"

"Yes," Jay acknowledged, "He's starting Kindergarten today at Cedar Grove. That's why Erin and I were there today."

"Okay," Elise said, "Yeah, Maddie starts fifth grade today. She's one of the younger kids because she was born in August."

"Good for her," Jay replied, suddenly realizing that his patience was running out. And that he needed to head to work. "Well," he continued, standing up, "I've got to get to work. I'm already late."

"Oh, sorry that I kept you. Here…have my business card. I'd like to talk again and maybe introduce you to Mike and Maddie sometime. I'm sure Maddie would love to know that she has an awesome uncle and aunt."

"We'll see," Jay said, forcing a smile, "See you, Elise."

"See ya, Jay," Elise said. As Jay turned to head out the door, she said, "And Jay? I'm sorry. For everything. I really am."

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it. Not for nineteen years of complete radio silence," Jay retorted, turning on his heels and storming out the door.


	2. Common Sense

**Thank you to everyone for your reviews. Y'all made me smile every time a new review popped into my inbox. :) Enjoy this next chapter!**

Chapter 2

Erin groaned as she ended the phone call on her phone.

Jay's cell had gone to voicemail.

For the third time.

She wanted to make sure that he was okay _as well as _that he was still coming to work. She had already been pestered with questions, all of which she had diverted or redirected. She still couldn't believe what had happened, and in the end, it was Jay's secret to share.

Erin and Jay had never told anyone else about his sister, who Erin now at least had a name to put to it. Not even Voight, who had suddenly shown up in front of her desk.

Startled, she put down her phone and asked, as calmly as she could, "What's up, Sarg?"

"My office. Now," he ordered monotonously, walking towards his office door. Erin obediently followed him and shut the door behind her.

"Where's Halstead? And what is going on? You promised you wouldn't be late today."

"Sorry, Voight, we dropped Peter to school, and then Jay started feeling really sick, so I dropped him home before coming in." Erin hated lying to Voight, but she had to resort to it for now. Voight wouldn't understand. He didn't know the whole story. _Or any of it, _Erin corrected herself.

"And I'm supposed to buy that?"

"Yes, you are," Erin replied, trying her best to appear convincing. Apparently it worked, because Voight submitted and said, "Alright. Just try to get ahold of him and let me know how he's doing."

"Sure thing," Erin said, choosing that opportunity to hightail it out of his office. As she headed for her desk, she was about to dial Jay's phone again when a text message popped into her inbox. A message from Jay. _About time, _she thought to herself.

She read the text, heading for the locker room before she was finished reading. _Meet me in the locker room. Need to talk to you. Sorry I didn't reach you earlier. –J_

***Twenty minutes earlier***

As Jay walked the five blocks between the precinct and the coffee shop where he had just left Elise, he was still trying to process everything that she had said.

She had become slightly more selfish, yet more open. She had told him all about the past nineteen years of her life, and yet, hadn't asked about much of Jay's life. Then again, Jay didn't reveal much before he stormed out. He just didn't feel ready to talk about it all yet. His head was still spinning.

His mind was still thinking about everything that had happened after his time in the army, since he had brought it up with Elise. He had spent two full years in deployment after three months of training, with a two month training break in between the two deployments. He had been in Iraq both times and seen a lot of action as well as lost lives. Before he had completed his initial army training in Virginia, he had already been selected to join Special Ops. Unfortunately, while that meant a higher rank, it also meant more danger and more death. Jay was lucky that he hadn't developed PTSD.

Because some of his comrades had.

After his second deployment, which had ended with his platoon running into a field of land mines, he had been debriefed in Germany and stuck on the next plane to the US – a flight that landed in Chicago. After more debriefings in the Windy City, Jay found that he liked the feel of Chicago, and decided to enroll in the Police Academy. He had worked as a uniform, then an undercover cop for the gang unit, and then after getting shot on the job he had gotten to move into Intelligence.

He couldn't believe Elise had not even asked about his journey through his years as a cop. _But you weren't super inclined to share, were you, _Jay thought to himself. He was following the promise he made to Erin: that he wouldn't let his emotions override his common sense. Even right now, he was so thankful for Erin. For everything that she had done for him, including today.

And the day wasn't even half over yet.

As he reached the precinct, he pulled out his phone, and instead of responding to his three missed calls from Erin, he sent her a quick text.

_Meet me in the locker room. Need to talk to you. Sorry I didn't reach you earlier. –J_


	3. Chicago

**Happy Halloween and Happy Friday! Sorry that I've taken so long to update...**

**I've got 2 more chapters written after this and more in the planning stage, so hopefully at Thanksgiving I'll have more time to write more chapters for all you awesome fans!**

**Oh, and please write a review! I love reading each and every one. :D**

Chapter 3

Erin slowly entered the locker room, and as she quietly shut the door and rounded the corner to Jay's locker, she found him sitting on a bench with his head in his hands. His phone was on the bench in front of him facing down, but he had left his jacket on. Erin sat down facing him and took Jay's hands in hers.

"Jay? What happened?" Erin asked cautiously.

Jay suddenly sat straight up, and as he looked down at his and Erin's hands, he said, "God, just…I don't know what to feel."

"That's okay," Erin assured him. "Did she explain at all?"

"Yeah, she did, actually," Jay replied, "Basically she and Leo went to New York, he left her after she got pregnant, and she moved to Chicago a few years later and eventually got married again."

"But wouldn't that make Maddie a teenager?" Erin asked suspiciously, her cop instincts kicking in.

"No, Maddie's ten. She had a miscarriage in New York and got pregnant again after she got married."

"Okay. How did she get to Chicago? Actually, how did you get to Chicago? I feel like I never asked what happened after you finished in Iraq," Erin replied.

"She took a job offer here after college. And as for me…" Jay trailed off.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," Erin said quickly.

"No it's okay. I should have told you years ago. You're my wife, after all…after I got out of Iraq, my plane back to the US ended in Chicago and I never left. I loved the feel of the place once I got here."

Erin smiled and moved closer to Jay. "You know, I'm glad you stayed. I seriously couldn't imagine having another partner."

Jay smiled, looked at Erin, and replied, "Okay, as much as that makes me feel turned on, it isn't helping the current predicament."

Erin chuckled and said, "Well, thanks."

"Really?"

"What? I was just trying to make you feel better I mean…you have just seen your sister for the first time in nineteen years. And she's married and has a kid too. And she's in Chicago! I know you said this before Peter was born, but maybe you two were meant to meet again."

Jay sighed and said, "You're probably right. I just don't want to let her back in yet."

"I know," Erin replied. "Why don't we talk more tonight? We just got a new case this morning so we should probably head up."

"Sure," Jay replied, standing up and putting his phone in his pocket. Before Erin turned for the door, he pulled her close to him and said, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Erin said with a small smile. She turned around and nearly jumped out of her skin when Antonio rounded the corner. "Hey, Antonio…" she said, trailing off.

"Hey," Antonio said, clearly tense. "Lindsay, you've got a visitor in the lobby."

"Who?" Erin asked out of curiosity. When Antonio didn't respond, Jay said, "Come on, man. Who is it?"

Antonio sighed, and said, "She said she knows you from a long way back."

As Jay tried to figure out who Antonio was talking about, Erin darted for the door and Jay rushed to catch up to her. He almost ran into her when she suddenly halted in the doorway leading to the side hallway of the lobby. Jay spotted a woman who could have been in her fifties with crazy grey hair and daring blue eyes. She was sporting a canvas bag, owl earrings, jeans and some concert t-shirt.

"Who is she, Erin?" Jay asked.

Erin turned towards Jay and pushed him back a few feet so they were out of the woman's eyeshot. Her eyes were beginning to fill with anger as she said, "I never thought I'd see her again."

"See her again? Why?"

"Jay, she's my mother."


	4. So He Speaks

**Hi All, here is the next chapter! I'm sorry that I haven't been updating as fast as I have in the past, I have just had a lot going on the past couple of weeks, okay? I'm not giving up on this story in any way, I just haven't had a lot of time to write.**

**Enjoy this next chapter - I had a fun time writing this one. :)**

Chapter 4

Jay couldn't believe it when Erin said, "Jay, she's my mother."

Erin's mother.

The one who got drunk and stopped coming home. _Good Lord, _Jay thought silently. "What do you want to do?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, I have to talk to her to make her leave, so you're coming with me," Erin said decisively. Before Jay could protest, Erin dragged him with her into the lobby and stopped when they were in front of her mother.

"Erin, my dear," the older lady said in a sweet tone, reaching to hug Erin. Erin stepped back and said, "Hi, Mom."

"Come on, honey, can I at least give my daughter a hug?" she asked.

"No, mom, I haven't forgotten all that I went through in my childhood," Erin spat. Jay's shoulder felt a tiny prick and he whirled around as Platt made silent arm signals at him. She had thrown a paper plane to get Halstead's attention, and was silently ordering Halstead to shuffle to two women into Commander Perry's office. He nodded, and then said, "Let's take this into the office, okay?"

"So, he speaks," Erin's mom said as she walked into the office. "Why didn't you speak up before?"

"Because Erin had the situation perfectly under control," he replied in an unenthusiastic tone. Erin remained standing since her mother refused to sit down, so he remained standing as well. Erin smiled to herself at Jay's comment about her. He knew her so well.

"You two obviously work together or something. That chemistry between you is very prominent," Erin's mother observed. She turned to Jay and said, "I'm Bunny. Erin's mother."

"Nice to meet you, Bunny," Jay replied, "Jay Halstead. I'm Erin's partner."

"It's a pleasure, Jay," Bunny said monotonously. After almost a minute of awkward silence, Jay said out loud, "I'm going to take a bathroom trip, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes." As soon as he exited the office and shut the door, Platt waved him over. He turned over his shoulder quickly as he walked towards Platt, and was slightly worried that Erin and Bunny appeared to be yelling at each other.

"Erin's mom?" Platt said, loud enough for only Jay to hear.

"Yep," Jay said worriedly. "She only met me two minutes ago and she's already insulted me. Erin's turned into a protective wolf." He paused, then said, "I'm going to the restroom."

"Have fun," Platt joked.

***Back in the office***

"Do you want to sit down, honey?" Bunny asked calmly. Erin silently refused, crossing her arms and resetting her stance. "Well, now we can really talk. Just you and me."

"No," Erin replied monotonously.

"What do you mean no?"

"Don't you realize that you insulted my work partner?" Erin said, her volume increasing.

"He was a little impolite," Bunny said, defending herself.

"So were you!" Erin yelled. "You think you can just waltz back into my life and that we can both be happy and get along. But no. I remember all the times you got drunk or OD'd and I couldn't call 911 because I knew that CPS would take you away from me. You're my mother – someone I'm supposed to be able to look up to. But how could I look up to you when you were drinking and vomiting half the day and you stopped coming home when I was fourteen?!" Tears were now coming to Erin's eyes because of all that she had gone through.

"And you know who saved me?" Erin asked, now going for the full blow, "Voight. He took me in, took care of me, got me clean, and gave me a fresh start. I'm happy with my life right now, and I don't want you coming in only to ruin it."

"Erin," Bunny tried, but to no avail.

"No," Erin cut her off, "I don't want to talk to you anymore. Here's my email," she paused, handing her mother a card from her pocket, "This is how you contact me from now on. Never come to my workplace again." And with that, Erin exited the office and sprinted for the locker room just as all her emotions threatened to spill over beyond her control. As she rounded the corner to where her locker was, she stopped in her tracks when she found Jay leaning against her locker, a concerned look in his eyes.

Without speaking, he brought her into his embrace and she let go of all her tears. He sat her down on the bench next to them and Erin cried into Jay's shoulder until his shirt was wet. As she collected herself and sat up on her own, she looked at her husband shirt and said, "Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize. You obviously needed to let it out," Jay said softly.

"You're right," Erin said through gritted teeth, "I can't believe she would just show up again after all these years. Did all that alcohol give her amnesia? You know what, I don't even care. She wasn't there for me like Voight was, and she could never top you."

Jay smiled and said, "Really?"

"Really," Erin said. She sighed, taking Jay's hand in hers. "How did I ever get so lucky?"

"How did _I _get so lucky?" Jay repeated, kissing Erin and pulling her closer. A few seconds later, Jay held up Erin's right hand with his. "Do you remember when I asked you to marry me? And when we got married in that amazing ceremony with all our friends and Peter?"

"Yeah," Erin said, smiling through her tears.

"In times like this, we have to remember the good times like those. We'll get through this. Trust me."

"I hope so," Erin admitted, hugging Jay tightly as if she never wanted to let go. From the moment they met through to now, she had always felt safe in Jay's embrace. Unfortunately, as she was about to pull her head back and kiss Jay, one of their phones buzzed. Jay found that it was his, and Elise was asking if they could meeting up that night.

"Seriously?" Erin asked, having forgotten about Elise for a little while.

"Don't worry, I'm saying no," Jay replied as he typed into his phone keyboard.

"Why?" Erin asked.

"Because," Jay said, pausing to hit send on his phone, "I need to get Peter from school today, and I want to be there for you tonight. Elise can wait another day."

"Thank you," Erin said.

"Don't mention it," Jay echoed, their eyes and hearts linked as one.


	5. Busted

**I'm sorry to everyone whom I made angry by not updating enough...and here is a little early "Happy Friday" gift from me! I am happy to report that I've got many more chapters in the works, so this story has many chapters to come. :)**

**#CrossoverWeek was great! I just wish Lindsay and Halstead would get together already (but, they are going undercover together at a casino in next week's episode!) [Gasp of excitement]**

**As always, please leave a review. I love reading all of them. :D**

Chapter 5

After sitting in the car for about ten minutes, he looked up from his phone to see his son walking out of the back door from his kindergarten classroom. He hadn't seen his dad yet, but when he did, a big smile crossed his face and he sprinted towards the car. Since Jay was in the pickup line, and it wasn't moving yet, he got out of the car and hugged his son on the sidewalk. "Daddy!" he said happily.

"Hey, bud," Jay said, smiling. He helped Peter into his booster seat in the back of the car and soon they were heading towards home. No sooner had Jay sat down in his seat to turn on the ignition did his son start talking about his first day of school.

"Daddy! It was awesome! I've made a new friend. His name's Alex. He likes trains too! Can he come over to play sometime? Please daddy, please?"

Chuckling as his on finally stopped for breath, Jay replied, "Maybe, Peter. After I meet his parents, maybe he can come over."

"Yay!"

"How's Ms. Carson? Your teacher?"

"She's really nice. She gave me a sticker on my paper today."

"That's great," Jay said, smiling as he looked out of the windshield, "Sounds like your first day was fun then?"

"Yeah!" Peter squealed. However, he then paused and asked, "Where's mommy? I wanna see mommy!"

"She'll meet us at home, okay? She had some work to do."

"Okay," Peter said in a pouty tone. Jay had to stop himself from chuckling again because while Jay and Peter got along amazingly well, Peter had a bond with Erin that was stronger than anything he had ever seen. Jay could already imagine how emotional Erin would be at future school graduations.

Peter continued to talk about his first day of school as Jay pulled the car over on the side of the road in front of their two bedroom condo. Peter unbuckled his own seatbelt, grabbed his backpack, and sprinted for the front door. When he found that he couldn't open the door, he yelled, "Daddy! Open the door!"

Jay paused with his keys in his left hand and said, "Peter, what's the magic word?"

"Please?"

"Please what?"

"Please can you unlock the door?" Peter said with a hint of annoyance.

"Sure," Jay conceded, unlocking the door and allowing Peter to run to his room. Peter met Jay in the kitchen with one of his favorite trains, which he proceeded to roll in circles on the kitchen table. "Daddy, I'm hungry."

"Me too," Jay admitted, realizing that he hadn't eaten anything since that coffee with Elise that morning. He had been so distracted that he'd skipped lunch. "What do you want?"

"Ice cream," Peter said with a smirk. When Jay hesitated, Peter screamed, "Please, daddy, please!"

Jay silently went to the freezer, pulled out Peter's favorite chocolate ice cream, and put the ice cream on the counter next to two spoons and two bowls. "Don't tell mommy, okay?"

"Don't tell mommy," Peter agreed, his eyes now fixed on the ice cream. After Jay had served up, both he and Peter were taking their first bites when Erin walked into the kitchen. "What's going on here? Ice cream?" she asked.

"Uh oh," Peter said out loud, looking between his mom and his ice cream.

"Busted," Jay confessed. When Erin didn't move closer to him, he said, "You want some too?"

"Yes," Erin said with purpose. She pulled out a spoon and bowl for herself and helped herself to some chocolate ice cream. As she was about to take her first bite, Peter said, "Daddy said not to tell mommy."

Erin stopped a laugh and looked at her son, and then turned to her husband as she said, "Really? He did, did he?"

"Yes, he did," Peter said, laughing and giggling as he continued to get chocolate smudged around his mouth. Erin smacked Jay on the arm and said, "You're already teaching our son to keep secrets?"

"It was just a little one, Erin. And he asked for it – I didn't prompt him. Did I, Peter?" Peter nodded "no" in agreement.

"It's okay," Erin conceded, "After all, our son did just finish his first ever day of school!" She ran over to the side of the table where Peter was sitting and started to tickle him. As the room erupted in giggles, a loud knock sounded on the front door.

Erin told Jay to quiet Peter down as she looked through the curtain. It was her mother.

_Dammit, _she thought.

She quietly told Jay, "Take Peter into his room and keep him quiet, okay? It's my mother outside." Jay obeyed, carrying Peter down the hallway to his room. As soon as she heard the bedroom door shut, he unlocked the front door.

"Hi," Erin said, obviously annoyed.

"Hi, Erin, I just thought I'd drop by," her mother said insistently.

"How did you find out where I live? I didn't tell you where I live! In fact, I told you I never wanted to talk to you again! Did you follow me?"

"Yes, I did," Bunny confessed. "You got into a car with some guy I didn't know and I wanted to make sure you were safe."

"Just FYI, that "some guy" was one of my coworkers who agreed to drive me home."

"Ok, then I can come in then," Bunny said assertively. Erin hesitated, then opened the doorway. "Come on in," she said, getting pissed off.

After she slammed the front door shut, she asked, "What the heck, mom?"

"I want you to be at my wedding, Erin. Please," Bunny begged.

"I don't have to listen to you, ok? I already made that perfectly clear."

"What's with all these toys?" Bunny said as she looked around.

"Mom, it's time for you to leave."

"But I haven't finished, Erin-"

"You have finished, Bunny. Now get out!" Erin yelled, on the verge of tears again. Thankfully, Bunny gave Erin her card and obeyed, and after she slammed and locked the front door she hoped that she wouldn't have to answer questions posed by her five-year-old son. She wondered if her mother had been smart enough to figure out that the toys on the floor belonged to a young boy. She hoped her mother hadn't.

When she opened Peter's bedroom door, he and Jay were engaged in a round of go-fish. After she watched them finish, she sent Peter off to play in the living room and Jay asked, "What happened?"

"Tell you later," Erin said bluntly, standing up, sighing, and going off to put on a good face for their son.


	6. Up For It

**Here is the next chapter! Happy Thanksgiving week y'all! I'm sorry that I didn't update on Friday...I was very tired after seeing Mockingjay the previous evening. Anyway, please let me know what you think...and thanks to a reviewer who posted yesterday wondering when I was going to post again. You made me laugh and reading enthusiastic reviews is one of my favorite parts of being a FanFic writer. Thank you.**

Chapter 6

After many more rounds of go-fish and Peter's tantrum over not wanting to take a bath, Jay came into the living room to find his wife curled up on the couch with a cup of tea in her hands. "He's finally asleep," he said.

"Okay," Erin replied, continuing to stare off into space. The hours between when her mom had shown up and now had been hard because she'd had to try to not send weird vibes to Peter. She was not ready to introduce Peter to her mother.

"So," Jay began slowly, sitting down on the couch and pulling Erin into a hug, "I ended up telling Elise that I was married and had a son. And that you were my wife. She basically insulted you to my face."

"How rude of her when she doesn't know a thing," Erin commented, making eye contact with Jay for the first time since he had entered the room and realizing that her comment was a mistake. "I'm sorry, Jay, I didn't mean it that way, I just…my mom insulted you to my face and I'm still mad at her for a lot of things that now include that."

"It's okay…what did you tell your mom?"

"Nothing, but she was probably suspicious when she saw Peter's toys," she replied, signaling with a nod of her head to all the train and robot toys in boxes at the other end of the room. Jay kissed Erin's head and said, "Hard to say. What do you want to do?"

Erin sighed, "No idea…except that I don't want Peter to know about anything yet. Too much at the same time would be too big of a shock for him. And I don't want to introduce new people when he's just started school and he is really happy. Is that okay?"

"I agree, actually," Jay admitted, "Do you want to tell Voight?"

"That my mother's back in town? He won't take lightly to that," Erin said worriedly.

"If we tell him, then he'll know why we might be uptight for a while."

"But if we tell him then he'll make some comment about how we should take time off to protect Peter. Which I don't want to do."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to sit and stare at the ceiling for seven hours while Peter's at school," Erin said in a quiet, firm tone.

"Point taken," Jay conceded, "Should we just break it to him lightly?"

"We don't have a very good track record for breaking things to him lightly, remember?" Erin said with a slight smile, remembering Voight's apparently calm (but actually angry) reaction to Erin and Jay's announcement of their relationship and that Erin was pregnant at the same time. Thank heavens Voight had come to terms with Erin and Jay being happy, otherwise Erin wouldn't even be considering telling Voight about her mother and Jay's sister.

"Okay," Erin said.

"Okay what?" Jay asked.

"We tell Voight about the two people who have suddenly come back into our lives. But we don't, under any circumstances, tell Peter. Not right now. Especially since I still don't trust my mother after all of her relapses."

"If that's what you want to do?" Jay asked.

"That's what I want," Erin echoed, putting her head on Jay's chest, "You and Peter are everything to me and I don't want my mother interfering with that because she has no right to. Peter comes first, and we need to keep him safe."

"Sounds good," Jay said, smiling slightly, "Should we tell Voight about my sister too?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't do any harm to run a background check," Erin said,

"Hey!"

"What?"

"She doesn't need a background check, Erin."

"She might not have told you the whole story."

"It seemed to me she did."

"There's always more to a story, Jay. Just like work. There's always another case."

***The next morning***

"What the heck?" Voight said in disbelief. He couldn't believe that Erin's mother and Jay's sister had run into Erin and Jay in the space of forty-eight hours. He had known about Erin's mother and her alcoholism but had never been told that Jay had a sister.

"Why was your sister never listed as your next-of-kin for emergencies?" Voight asked.

"She left after high school and I had no idea where she went," Jay replied, "Besides, it's not like I need an extra emergency contact now."

"And Erin – your mom? Is she sober again?"

"Supposedly," Erin sighed, "She says she's been clean for seven months but I'm so done trying to make an effort with her only to watch her relapse and detach from me again. That's why I came to you all those years ago. Because she was distant after my dad went to jail."

"Does Peter know about any of this?" Voight asked. Erin had forgiven Voight after his handshake with Jay in the hospital after Peter was born, and since Voight had wanted to spend time with the little boy who made his girl happy, he had earned the nickname Grandpa Hank. He loved Erin and Jay's son, so it was natural for him to be worried.

"He doesn't know a thing. My sister knows that I have a son, but Erin's mom doesn't."

"Well, try to keep it that way. Do you two still want to work?"

"Yes," Jay and Erin replied in unison.

"I thought you both might say that," Voight chuckled, "Keep me posted."

"Will do," Erin replied, opening the door so Jay could leave the office first. After he sat back down at his desk, his phone buzzed and he saw that Elise was calling. "Hello?" he said unenthusiastically after picking up.

"Jay, it's Elise," she said on the other end.

"What's up?" Jay asked, suddenly not feeling in the mood to talk to her, but he stayed on the line anyway.

"Would you and your wife like to meet up for dinner tomorrow night? We could meet at a restaurant so it's a neutral place?"

"One sec," Jay said, waving Erin over. "Dinner tomorrow night with my sister?"

Erin rolled her eyes and said, "I'll come to support you, not for any other reason."

Jay mouthed a _thank you _to Erin before telling Elise, "Sure. Pick a restaurant and send me the address. Seven o'clock sound ok?"

"Sure," Elise replied, "You sure you can't do earlier?"

"Detective hours aren't nine to five," Jay snapped.

"Sorry, Jay," Elise replied, "Seven o'clock it is. I'll book a table and text you the info. Casual wear. I look forward to meeting your wife. Again."

"Bye, Elise," Jay said in a high tone before hanging up and slamming his phone down on his desk. That drew a few shocked reactions from his colleagues, but Erin responded by sending him a text.

_As soon as we can get out of here, I just want some you and me time. You up for it?_

Jay smiled and texted back as he eyed Erin across the aisle, _Oh, I'm up for it all right._


	7. Awkward

**Happy Thanksgiving! And less than a month 'till Christmas! :) Would any of you be interested in a Christmas-themed chapter? Let me know! :)**

**Thank you again for all of your support and reviews - please leave me one - I'll post the next chapter when I get 7 reviews!**

Chapter 7

"Mommy, why am I going to Antonio's?" Peter asked as Erin buckled him into his car seat the next evening.

"Because daddy and I are going out tonight," Erin replied with a smile.

"But I want to stay with you," Peter said, putting on his pouty face and crossing his arms.

"Peter," Erin replied, "You're a big boy now, and sometimes you'll have to spend time with people other than me and daddy. You do it at school, right? Right?" She began to tickle the five year old, who erupted in shrieks and giggles. When he calmed down a little, he said, "Will Diego be there? And Eva?"

"Yes," Erin said with a smile, shutting the door and getting in the driver's seat before Jay could protest. Jay sat down in the passenger seat as Erin headed for Antonio's place. Laura and Antonio had been unable to work things out in the end, and since their divorce Diego and Eva had been alternating weeks with their dad. Antonio always seemed happier when he had his kids with him, and since he had the kids on this particular day, he had agreed to take care of Peter while Erin and Jay went out for dinner.

To meet Jay's sister and brother-in-law.

Peter ran past Antonio at the front door and jumped into Diego's arms at the bottom of the staircase as Erin said hello. Jay stayed in the car because he was getting himself worried about what might happen at dinner.

"What's up with him?" Antonio asked Erin, pointing to Jay in the car.

Erin sighed and replied, "He only just saw his sister again for the first time in nineteen years and we both know that the next two hours are going to be awkward."

"Ah," Antonio said, "That's rough."

"Yeah."

"You don't sound too excited either," Antonio observed.

"I'm going to support him," Erin explained, looking back at Jay in the car, "I've never seen him this nervous about something before…except maybe when I told him that he was going to be a father."

"I can imagine," Antonio acknowledged.

"Thanks, Antonio. Bye," Erin said as she walked back to the car and Antonio shut his front door. Erin drove the restaurant and had to practically drag Jay in the front door because he was being so hesitant.

Elise had apparently picked the restaurant – an old-style burger diner with red and white cushions and booths. Jay spotted Elise in a booth a few feet away, and she stood up with her husband to greet them. "Jay," she said happily, pulling him into a hug. After they separated, she motioned to the guy next to her and said, "This is my husband, Mike."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Jay said politely as he shook Mike's hand. "You as well," Mike replied, "Elise has told me a lot about you."

"All good I hope," Jay replied, trying his best to smile but not fully succeeding. "Elise, Mike, this is my lovely wife, Erin."

"Lovely to meet you, Erin," Elise said with a big smile, shaking Erin's hand. "You both as well," Erin replied as she shook Mike's hand. Elise and Mike then sat down on one side of the booth, and Jay scooted into the window, leaving Erin across from Elise. "I didn't realize that you and Jay were married when we met at the school."

"Yeah, we've been married for over five years," Erin said, trying not to snap that she always wears her wedding ring…even on busts. She then remembered the time she asked Jay if he wanted her to take it off during busts in case it got damaged or something, and Jay replied no because their job brought them together. That had evolved into one of Erin and Jay's very rare PDA's at work, and had been met by whistles and orders to "get a room." Erin smiled as she looked down at her iced tea that had just arrived at the table.

"How long have you two been cops?" Mike asked.

"You worried we've got our badges and gonna arrest you?" Erin joked with a smirk. Jay and Mike both laughed, Elise not taking the comment as lightly. Erin cleared her throat as the laughter died down and said, "I've been in Intelligence for a long time, but Jay has been a cop a long time. We were partnered together when he was brought into Intelligence."

"Wow, so you're still working together?" Elise asked.

Erin stopped herself from rolling her eyes as Jay replied, "Yes."

The polite conversation continued for the next forty minutes as they ordered food, the food arrived, and everyone began to eat. Erin was getting a little bored, but was trying not to show it because Jay was trying to make an effort. Erin decided to ask a couple of questions herself. "Jay tells me you have a daughter? Maddie, right?"

"Right," Elise said with a smile, "She's ten. In the fifth grade."

"Cool," Erin said, "Mike? How long have you lived in Chicago?"

"My whole life, almost," Mike replied after sipping his beer. "I grew up on the north side, went to college in Boston and came back to a job here afterwards. I know Elise and Jay grew up in Maine, but where'd you grow up Erin?"

Jay almost choked on the mouthful of food that he was swallowing because he knew about Erin's complex past and wasn't sure if she was prepared to answer such a question. But he was relieved when his wife, in true Erin style, replied, "I grew up in Chicago too, actually. Moved around a lot though when I was a kid."

"The Windy City is a lovely place, isn't it?" Mike asked Erin.

"For living or for crime?" Erin said with a smirk. Elise got the joke first this time, and as Jay and Mike joined in, Erin finished, "It's a great place. At times as a cop we see some not-so-safe aspects of the city, but I'm glad that we're able to keep our son safe."

"What's your son's name?" Elise asked. "Peter," Erin replied quickly.

"Lovely name. I always wanted a boy actually, but we couldn't have a second kid because my doctor said that it would be too risky after I had Maddie."

This time, Erin nearly spit out a mouthful of burger. She looked at Jay with a_help me _expression on her face, and Jay responded, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really," Elise replied grabbing Mike's hand, "If you don't have your health, you don't really have anything, right?"

"Right," Erin replied.

***40 minutes later***

As Jay drove with Erin towards Antonio's place to pick up Peter, he broke the awkward silence that he filled their walk to the car and the first two minutes of the drive. "Erin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming with me tonight. You really helped ease the tensions a little," Jay said meaningfully.

"Of course, Jay, I wanted to support you," Erin replied as she stared out of the windshield. "Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away," Jay replied, pulling the car to the curb outside Antonio's condo. Once he cut the ignition and turned to face Erin, he realized that she look nervous as she began to speak.

"Did you ever think about having a second kid? 'Cause I'm now realizing that we never talked about it. We kind of just focused on raising Peter and staying at work."

Jay sighed, grabbed Erin's hand, and replied, "I did think about it when Peter was one or two, thinking how awesome it would be for Peter to have a brother or sister. But I then realized if we had a second kid that you probably wouldn't be able to work in Intelligence anymore, which I know is really important to you. So, I eventually decided to…to count my blessings and be happy with one."

"Really?" Erin said, surprised by the deep air of Jay's response. "Because I thought about it a little too. You know, having a child whose arrival was actually planned. But then I decided that I couldn't because I wouldn't want to take any time away from Peter. You and Peter are everything to me."

"You two are everything to me too," Jay said, smiling. He leaned over and kissed Erin with his hand in her hair. When he pulled away, he said, "After you told me I was going to be a father, part of me thought about how Peter was a sign from the universe that we were meant to be together. I mean, we were having arguments every other day for a few weeks until you started throwing up."

Erin laughed with Jay before replying, "It's weird how things work out sometimes. I don't miss feeling nauseous all the time though."

"I'm sure," Jay acknowledged, "I'll always be thankful for you, Erin. You made me a father, and a really happy one. I hope you know that."

Erin kissed Jay and said, "I'm glad, honestly, because I don't know how I would have done it without you." Erin then looked past Jay to Antonio's front window, and saw a little boy looking out at the car. A taller man, obviously Antonio, was standing behind the boy. "Come on," Erin said, "Let's go get Peter. He's already waiting," Erin said with a smile, reaching for the handle of her car door.

***Inside Antonio's condo***

As a kids TV show episode drew to a close, Peter looked out the front window from his position at the left end of the couch. Antonio looked over at the boy from across the room as Diego and Eva cleared their dinner plates. "You okay, Peter?"

Peter's head whirled around and he replied, "Yeah. I just wanna see mommy and daddy."

"Yeah, they'll be here soon," Antonio reassured him. Peter was the sweetest little boy he had ever met, and still hadn't quite figured out how too hotheads like Erin and Jay could have made as calm a boy as Peter. Then again, they had done a great job raising him so far and Peter was really attached to both of his parents. Antonio just prayed that neither of his parents would ever get hurt, as he was sure Erin and Jay worried, because it wouldn't be for many years that Peter would learn what his parents really did for a living.

Antonio's train of thought was interrupted by Peter jumping off the couch and squealing, "They're back! They're back!" He ran over to the front window and put both of his hands on the glass as he watched his parents sit and talk in the car. "Antonio?"

"Yeah, bud?" Antonio asked, walking over to stand behind the little boy.

"Why aren't they coming? I want them to come," Peter said sadly.

"Peter, your parents are just talking a little. They'll be in soon."

"What are they talking about?"

"No idea," Antonio admitted. Peter continued to stare out the window at his parents in the car, anxiously waiting for them to get out. He wanted to tell his mommy and daddy all about the TV he watched and what Antonio cooked for dinner. And how Eva and Diego were super cool (even though he had already known that before tonight). Luckily, Peter saw his mom getting out of the car and squealed with delight, making a beeline for Antonio's front door.


	8. The First Time

**I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in so long - as I'm sure many of you can relate, life has been hectic for me lately.**

**Thank you SO MUCH for all the support for this story and _A Place To Crash - _all of your humorous and sincere comments make me smile and laugh - please keep it up! :)**

Chapter 8

Ever since Voight had gotten Erin into the Intelligence Unit all those years ago, Erin had loved doing her job and helping bring about justice. That being said, there were sometimes days when all Erin wanted to do was go home.

Today was one of those days.

After a slightly awkward dinner with Jay's sister and her husband and a heart-to-heart with Jay about not having a second child the night before, Erin was extremely distracted and was having a hard time finishing her paperwork. Ruzek and Antonio had already left an hour ago, and Atwater and Olinsky were both standing up to file theirs and head out. Little did Erin know that Jay had finished his paperwork before anyone else because he hadn't had much to offer on one of the recent cases – he was just hanging around so he and Erin could go pick up Peter after she was done. Voight had left a couple of hours ago for an errand and had told everyone that he wouldn't be returning until the morning.

Nadia logged off her computer, filed some papers, and left with Atwater and Olinsky, leaving Erin and Jay alone in the Intelligence office. Jay was looking at Facebook on his phone when he heard his wife slam her pen on the table and sigh. He looked up and saw her with her head in her hands. "Erin," he said worriedly, walking over and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Jay, I'm sorry, I'm just so distracted right now," Erin replied, grabbing Jay's hand with one of hers.

"I know, I know," Jay replied, sitting down on Erin's desk. "You almost done?"

"Yeah, I just have to sign all of 'em," Erin replied, putting all her forms into an organized pile and signing each one in the required places. Of all the things being a cop involved, the most annoying and time-consuming part was the paperwork.

After Erin flung her completed paperwork into the file box on the front of her desk and capped her pen, she looked up at Jay. "I've been debating all day whether to call my mother," she confessed.

Jay didn't respond, prompting Erin to continue. "I've been through her sober periods so many times and I'm just done now. She doesn't realize that she can't just waltz back into my life again. She's never fully been there for me since I was little. Not like you."

Jay's eyes became watery at Erin's last sentence and replied, "I know. I'm having a little bit of the same battle with myself about Elise."

"I know," Erin said, "And I'm sorry that I'm like this, I just-"

Jay pulled Erin into his arms as she began to cry. He rubbed her as he told her, "You don't have to apologize. I know the past few weeks have been hard."

"Yeah," Erin said, sniffing and suddenly realizing that she'd cried all over Jay's shirt. "Oops," she said, pulling away to get a tissue.

Jay looked down and chuckled. "It's all good."

"Just put a jacket on," Erin said, checking her watch, "We need to meet Peter at his bus stop."

***Twenty minutes later***

Erin put her jacket in the front closet of their condo and made herself a cup of tea. Jay glugged a glass of water as he was about to go to Peter's bus stop, and saw Erin gazing at her phone.

"If you wanted to meet her…" Jay began cautiously, "Would you want moral support?"

Erin whirled around and said, "As my husband, I would expect your support." She sent her mom a quick text about meeting at a coffee shop in a couple of days. After she sent the text, she threw her phone on their bed so she wouldn't look at it for a couple of hours. When Erin returned from tossing her phone twenty feet, Jay had an eyebrow raised. "What?" she asked like a teenager.

"Nothing. I've just never seen you chuck your phone like that."

"Stop it," Erin said, taking a sip of her tea. "Are you going to go meet Peter or not?"

"Yes, yes, I'm going, Erin," Jay said, putting his glass next to the fridge. He pulled Erin into his arms again and kissed her. When he made eye contact with her, he said, "It's going to be okay. I promise."

"I hope so," Erin said with a sigh. She then proceeded to usher Jay out the door so he could walk the two blocks to Peter's bus stop. He smiled back at her as she stood in the doorway and watched him walk away, thinking about how she started falling for him the first time he smiled.


	9. Okay

**Thank to all you fabulous readers for being so patient while I didn't update for nine days. Sorry - life's been happening lately. I can't tell you how awesome it is to have people who read my FanFiction and make me smile when they leave reviews! **

**This chapter is a little bit more somber, and I'm sorry if it feels like the plot is slowing down...I've got some big plans in the works! As always, please leave a review! :D**

Chapter 9

As Peter unbuckled himself and hopped out of the car, he asked his mom, "Mommy? Why am I going to Gabby's?"

"Because daddy and mommy are going out," Erin responded, Jay already at the front door.

"But I don't want to play barbies," Peter complained.

"You'll be fine," Erin assured Peter as Gabby opened the front door. "Hey, Peter!" she said excitedly, "How's my favorite little boy?"

"Hi," Peter said nervously.

"The place is quiet," Erin observed with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, the girls are both still upstairs getting dressed. It'll be loud pretty soon."

Jay and Erin both chuckled as Peter hugged Erin's leg. Erin pulled Peter off of her leg, gave him a big kiss on the head and said, "We'll be back at lunch time, okay?"

"Okay, mommy," Peter said quietly, finally smiling, which made Erin feel a little better.

"Is that my favorite five year old?" Shay squealed from the hallway. Peter ran past Gabby and into Shay's arms and giggled as she tickled his belly. "Hey guys," Shay said with a smile.

"Hey, Shay," Erin said, "Thank you. Both of you."

"No problem," Shay said, "Besides, Gabby needs me to help corral her two girls and our favorite boy. Kelly and Matt are working on a construction project today."

"Nice," Jay said, "Have fun, Peter."

"Bye!" Peter said with a giggle.

Twenty minutes later, Erin and Jay sat next to each other at a table in the coffee shop they'd picked. Erin was so nervous that she was using her coffee as a hand warmer instead of actually drinking it. As Jay took a big sip, he asked, "You gonna drink that?"

"Please, Jay," Erin snapped. Jay took that as his cue to back off, so they didn't speak until Erin's mom arrived. "Erin," she said happily.

"Hi, mom," Erin said with a strained smile, standing up to greet her mother. Jay followed suit, and reached out his hand after Erin back out of her mother's short embrace. "Jay Halstead. Nice to meet you."

"You as well," Bunny said, not fully meaning it. She sat down on the opposite side of the table as she asked, "How do you two know each other?"

"We're married, mom," Erin snapped. Jay had to stop himself from giving Erin a look of surprise. He had never seen her so tense around anyone before – not even Voight during her pregnancy could top her right now.

Bunny's jaw dropped before she recollected herself and replied, "Oh. And you work together too?"

"Yes, we do," Jay replied with a strained smile of his own. "We've been working together for over seven years."

"Wow, that's a long time," Bunny concluded. "How did you become a cop, Jay?"

"I was in the military for a few years after high school. My flight back from debriefing in Germany landed in Chicago and I never left. I'm glad I didn't," Jay said wholeheartedly, giving Erin an honest look of affection.

"So, Erin, did you take his last name?" Bunny asked suddenly, interrupting the sweet moment. Erin took a sip of coffee and replied, "Yes Mom, I did."

"Do you talk to your father at all? Did you before you got married?" Bunny asked.

"What do you think, mom?" Erin spat in reply. Jay was taking small and frequent sips of coffee to stop himself from saying anything as Erin continued, "I haven't seen him since he was arrested when I was a little girl. I didn't even know what prison he was in, so no, I haven't seen him over two decades. Why are you here in Chicago, mom?"

"I'm getting married and I want another chance with you."

"Mom, I've been through this with you so many times."

"Just please come to the wedding? It would mean a lot to me if you would both be there."

"What about dad? Unless he's dead or you divorced him then you can't marry someone else."

"He divorced me. I was in one of my slumps and I didn't really realize what I'd signed until after I'd signed the papers. But it was better for me and you to be separated from him."

Erin was shocked, having never known about her parents' divorce before now. She stood up and headed for the bathroom, leaving Jay and Bunny alone at the table.

"I don't believe it," Bunny said, "Every time I get clean-"

"That's the problem," Jay snapped, "You said _every time. _You should have gotten clean and stayed clean years ago so you could have been there for her like you should have been. And I'm sorry if I'm being really rude right now, but I love Erin and she's told me a lot about her childhood and how she never wants to relive that."

"I shouldn't be scolded for trying!"

"I'm not saying that, Bunny, I just want you to know that I don't want to watch you hurt Erin again. You hear me?"

Bunny sighed. "I hear you." She said a farewell to Jay, wished him a good day, and exited the coffee shop just as Erin walked out of the bathroom. She sat down next to Jay after her mom had walked out the door and said. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing," Jay replied, staring out the window and taking a sip of coffee.

"Clearly," Erin chuckled, calling his bluff. Jay finally looked at Erin and said, "Look, she started to say how she couldn't believe that you wouldn't let her back in and I snapped. I basically told her that I don't want to see you get hurt by her again because you're my wife and I care about you too much to have to witness that."

Jay was going to say more but was interrupted by Erin passionately kissing him. He put his hands on her back as they kissed for a few more seconds; when Erin leaned back against her chair she looked like, for two pins, she might cry. Jay returned their coffee mugs and held Erin's hand as they walked to the car. As soon as Jay had sat down in the driver's seat and Erin sat next to him, she burst into tears and cried into Jay's chest, Jay hugging her with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

"I know this is hard, I know," Jay said softly, "But you and I will face it together, okay?"

Erin sniffed as she tried to stop crying and replied, "Okay."


	10. I'm A Mother

**Hi to all of my awesome readers! Thank you for being so patient between my infrequent updates - I am sorry - as you can all relate, life has been hectic for me lately. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

**And, of course, please leave a review. I love getting review notifications in my inbox - your reviews make me smile and laugh. Thanks!**

Chapter 10

Erin normally set her alarm clock to wake her up, but most of the time Jay or Peter woke her up before her alarm. On this particular morning, Peter came running in with one of his dinosaur toys growling like a T-rex. Erin helped her son into the bed and he snuggled up next to her after dropped his toy on the floor. "Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Guess what day it is?"

"What?" Erin asked sleepily, her eyes still closed.

"Friday! Which means it almost the weekend! Yay!" Peter squealed, hopping out of the bed, picking up his toy, and running out of the room again. Erin's eyes flew open as she remembered what was also happening today.

Her mother's wedding.

Jay had been woken up by Peter's squealing and rolled over to hug Erin and wish her good morning. He sensed she felt nervous, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just realized my mom's wedding's today," she blurted out, staring at the wall instead of Jay. Surprised, Jay mistakenly replied, "What?"

"What do you mean by that?" Erin spat, whirling around in the bed to face Jay. "What?" she said angrily.

"I just forgot, that's all. Were you planning to go?"

Erin sighed, grabbed Jay's hand, and said, "I don't know. The ceremony's at like 1 or something but Peter has to go to school today. But then my mother wants me to be there and-"

Jay cut her off while stroking her hair. "Erin," he began, "It's your choice whether or not you go. But if you just want to go for the ceremony then I can go with you and we can leave before the reception with the excuse that we have to go pick up our son."

"That's a nice idea, but my mom doesn't know I have a son, remember? And it would have been a nice gesture if my mom had offered to make me maid of honor."

"Would you have accepted?" Jay asked with raised eyebrows.

Erin hesitated, then quietly said, "Probably not. Just to make her feel bad for my childhood.

"Will you go with me just for the service? We can say that we got called to work even though we both have the day off," Erin suggested.

"Why don't we just tell the truth?" Jay asked.

"I don't want to get Peter involved right now, okay?" Erin said, "He's my baby and I want to protect him."

"Alright," Jay conceded, "We'll go for the service and then leave on a supposed work call."

"Okay," Erin agreed, groaning as she got out of bed to make sure that Peter was getting ready for school.

***Later that day***

Jay maneuvered their car into an open parking spot on the street a few blocks from the church and cut the engine. Erin sighed as she looked down at her wedding ring, thinking about how this whole thing was really weird.

"Erin?" Jay asked. "Yeah?" Erin said, no longer in a trance.

"You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Erin said monotonously, stepping out of the car with her coat and purse. As Erin put her badge and gun (with safety on) insider her purse, Jay said, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" Erin retorted, "I want to keep myself safe. No harm in that. Where's yours?"

Jay silently motioned to his right ankle, and Erin nodded in realization. "Creative. Sticking it in your sock, I mean."

"It's more accessible than in a purse," Jay replied, locking the car and heading for the traffic light in front of them. Erin gave him a smack on the shoulder before zipping up her coat. As the two of them waited to cross the street a few minutes later, Jay found himself staring at his beautiful wife.

"You know you look beautiful, right?" Jay said, grabbing Erin's hand and squeezing it as he looked into her eyes.

"Thank you," Erin said, staring straight back.

***One hour later***

Bunny and her new husband had chosen to have a short civil ceremony, which was fine with both Erin and Jay. Jay couldn't bear to sit still any longer with an anxious Erin next to him, while Erin was becoming overwhelmed with awkwardness.

Erin dragged Jay to the bar after the ceremony was over and as they were sipping their drinks, Bunny and her new husband came over. "Erin! Thank you so much for coming!" Bunny said happily, "This is my husband Tommy."

"Very nice to meet you, Tommy," Erin said with a strained smile as she shook Tommy's hand. Jay observed that Erin hadn't even hugged her mother, but then again, he understood why Erin wouldn't want to display that level of affection towards her mother.

"Mom, you remember Jay? Tommy, this is my husband Jay Halstead," Erin introduced after a moment of awkward silence. Luckily, Jay put on a smile and shook Bunny and Tommy's hands. "Very nice to meet you, sir. Congratulations to you both."

"Thank you," Bunny and Tommy replied in (almost) unison. "It means so much to me that you and Jay are here, Erin. Thank you," Bunny added.

Erin silently nodded and took another sip of her drink. Tommy spotted a relative of his across the room at that moment, and as he headed off to say hello, Bunny asked, "Will you stay for the reception?"

"Actually, we might have to get going in a bit because of work," Erin told her mother, going along with the plan she and Jay had made earlier. Unfortunately, Bunny became nosy.

"What work thing? Don't you have the day off?" she asked.

Erin retorted, "Criminals don't work nine to five. Sometimes days off become days that aren't. It happens. Sorry, mom, I hope you have a great honeymoon." Erin grabbed Jay and they were almost to the car when Bunny came out after them. "Erin! Erin!"

"What?" Erin said a little too angrily for the situation.

"Am I a grandmother?" Bunny asked. Jay and Erin both looked at each other and back at Bunny again as she said, "I saw the toys in your apartment."

"Mom, I have to go," Erin pleaded.

"Just answer my question," Bunny pleaded in reply, "Do you have a child? Are you a mother?"

Erin looked back to Jay for help, and he gave her a look that silently told her that it was her call to make. With tears coming to her eyes because she wanted to protect Peter, she replied vaguely.

"Yes, Bunny, I'm a mother."

"Can I meet my grandchild at some point?" Bunny asked, arms crossed.

"I'll think about it," Erin spat, throwing open the car door and slamming it shut after she sat down.


	11. Real Family

**First of all, I'm so sorry that I've taken so long to update. Hopefully when my life gets a little bit less stressful I will have a little more time to write - thank you so much to all of you for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy this update and that it helps you get through your Monday. :)**

**Also, I just want to say that I'm SO EXCITED for the potential of #Linstead in two days! Can't wait!**

Chapter 11

***One month later***

Erin strolled into the office at the Cedar Grove and stopped at one of the receptionist desks. The wall clock behind the desk read 2pm, October 25th.

Peter's 6th birthday.

"Hi, I'm here to pick-up Peter Halstead? I called about thirty minutes ago?"

"Alright," the receptionist, Alice, replied in an enthusiastic tone, "It's his birthday today, right?"

"Yes, it is," Erin replied with a smile, memories of Peter's birth flooding back into her mind.

"I'll just call his teacher and he'll be here in a couple of minutes," Alice replied, reaching for her phone. After dialing a short extensions, she said, "Hi, Ms. Carson, could you please send Peter Halstead to the office ready to go? His mother's here to pick him up. Thanks."

Erin sat down in the office and pulled out her phone. She had an unread text from Jay. _Everything's ready, _it said, _cake included __._

Erin smiled down at her phone and was about to type a reply when the door to the office opened and Peter sprinted towards Erin. "Mommy! Mommy!"

"Hey, buddy," Erin said, giving her son a huge hug before signing him out and walking with him to the car. "Did your classmates like the treats you took in this morning? The brownies?"

"Yeah! Everyone loved them! Daddy is the best baker ever," Peter said, smiling from ear to ear.

As Erin put Peter's backpack and coat into the back of the car and Peter buckled himself in, she asked, "So how does it feel to be six?"

"Awesome! I'm a whole year older! Ten years to go until I can drive a car!"

Erin chuckled and tickled Peter in the stomach. "Only if mommy and daddy say you can and you pass a test."

Peter began to giggle. "Mommy! Stop! Please!" Erin closed Peter's car door and hopped into the driver's seat. Peter was smiling into the mirror as she buckled her seatbelt, so she looked into the mirror and said, "What?"

"Have you gotten me something for my birthday yet?"

"Yes, and it's waiting at mommy and daddy's work," Erin replied, "Do you want to go get it?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Peter yelled in delight. The drive to the district wasn't very long, and Erin led Peter up to Intelligence where everyone was waiting with balloons, cake, and presents. Peter was over the moon.

***One hour later***

After getting various presents from all the members of intelligence, Voight was the last person to give his present to Peter. He had just received a toy fire truck and cop car from his parents that were remote controlled, and Jay managed to get Peter to take his focus away from that gift towards the one in Voight's hand.

"Happy Birthday, Peter," Voight said, handing the small package covered in silver wrapping paper to the little boy.

Peter recited what was on the small card, "To Peter, Love Grandpa Hank." He smiled, "Hank's your first name, right?"

Voight chuckled, "You're right. We just go by last names most of the time."

"But my mommy and daddy have the same last name. How do you not mix them up?"

The entire unit cracked up, Erin and Jay included, as Voight replied, "Your mommy's last name was Lindsay before she married your daddy, but after she married your daddy, she decided to continue using Lindsay at work."

"Lindsay's my middle name," Peter said.

"That's right," Voight said, "Now open your gift, birthday boy."

Peter ripped off the wrapping paper to reveal an official Chicago PD badge. Peter gasped with delight as Voight said, "This was the first badge I got when I graduated from the academy, so it's a little rusty now. I had to get a new one a few years back because I thought I'd lost it. But then when I found it a few months ago, I thought it was time I passed it on."

Peter hugged Voight and said, "Thank you, Grandpa."

"You're welcome, Peter," Voight replied, standing up and allowing Peter to run back to his mom and dad. Erin gave Voight a look of gratefulness and after looking at the badge, she walked over to Voight and gave her adopted dad a hug. "That was lovely. I never thought you'd give that thing up if you found it."

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Erin. And Peter has helped me become a better guy in my old age, just as you have."

"Erin?" Jay yelled.

"Yeah?" she replied, whirling back around.

"Platt says you've got a visitor downstairs."

"Be right back, Peter," Erin told her son, heading downstairs to the lobby.

***In the lobby***

Erin walked down the stairs feeling very happy, but then she felt awkward and angry when she saw her mother standing in Commander Perry's office. She looked at Platt, who gave her a look of sympathy, before Erin headed into the office and shut the door. "Erin," her mother said gratefully.

"I told you not to come by my work, mom. I'm working," Erin snapped.

"Why do you have to get so snappy with me all the time?" Bunny asked, surprised.

"Did it ever occur to you that I looked up to you when I was a kid? And that you let me down and definitely failed miserably as a mother after dad was taken away?"

"Erin, I've said I'm sorry."

After a pause, Erin asked, "How was the honeymoon?"

"Great, thanks. Tommy's family house in Hawaii is absolutely lovely. Beautiful views of the ocean. Now about your child-"

Erin cut Bunny off. "You came here to ask about my child?"

"Yes, Erin, if I have a grandchild I deserve to know them," Bunny argued.

"Bunny, Peter has a really great life right now, and he is happy. What I don't want you to do is meet Peter and start having a negative impact on his life. So no, you're not meeting him yet."

"How old is Peter, Erin?"

Erin sighed, angry at herself for accidentally telling her the name and gender of her child at the same time. She was trying to be protective and had slipped a little in her anger. "He's six," Erin said, "And please don't think that you can waltz into his life like you did mine because I want to protect him. I don't want him getting hurt." And with that, Erin opened the door and stormed out, heading back up to Intelligence to spend time with her real family.


End file.
